


Trust takes time, look at us

by a_Kabby_k



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Intimacy, Nine days in Polis, smut to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-01 15:55:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15777297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_Kabby_k/pseuds/a_Kabby_k
Summary: Abby winced at that and if she wasn't ill-at-ease, she might have rolled her eyes. Clearly, he was completely missing the point. “Actually... I didn't come to sleep alone--,” she told him, her cheeks catching fire once again. “I mean, I can do that in my own bed,” she added, offering him a tiny smirk in case she wouldn't have been clear enough.





	1. Chapter 1

**Day 1**

 

The first thing he noticed as he entered the room was the soft smell of flower flying in the air. The night has fallen over the recovering city and the room was bathed only into the light of the thousand candles someone had lightened during his absence. He had been there sooner during the day, getting some rest and cleaning himself and yet, he hadn't smelled it back then.

Intrigued, Marcus took severals steps forwards prudently, his hand landing reflectively over the gun hanging at his right hip. Even if Roan had assured him that they were safe in the tower, they weren't sheltered from some personal act of revenge. Not all the clan accepted Roan leadership and the hate towards Skaikru was higher than ever.

As he approached the center of the room, his eyes fell on several clothes drying near the burning fire in the hearth. The view made him frown. A pair of back pants were rested upon the back of a chair, next to a dark blue shirt.

It didn't take him long to recognize them: they were Abby's. Even more intrigued, he turned around, looking for her tiny figure in the darkness of the room.

At first, he saw nothing, no clue of her presence there and his heart started to race. The thought that it might have happened something to her made his blood ran cold in his veins. Without thinking twice, he started to inspect the room closer, watching for a trace of a struggle. He let his eyes run frenetically all over the room and then he saw it: an unexpected bump under the cover on his bed.

Marcus froze a second, both stunned and apprehensive. Something was wrong. Why would Abby be sleeping in his bed since she had been given a room for herself? Slowly, he made his way towards the bed, holding his breath, fearing for the worst. A dozen of horrible scenarios was invading his mind, making his throat tighten at each of his steps.

As he arrived next to the bed, he raised a shaking hand towards the cover. All he could see were some strands of light brown hair sticking out of the underneath of the fur. His heart clenched painfully inside his chest as the story of Lexa's previous lover came back to his mind.

His throat went dry and for a second he felt no longer able to move. He was frozen into place. Stuck by fear. Stuck by the thought of what he might find underneath the blanket.

The room was utterly quiet but yet, he was deafened by the frenetic beating of his own heart. He needed to know, he _had_ to know but he was scared to death.

Reluctantly, he finally found some inner courage to let his fingertips reach the top of the fur. His eyes were already stinging and he felt a powerful nausea take possession of his throat as he closed his fingers around the edge of the cover.

He held his breath, starting to pull down the blanket and then--

“Marcus?” a muffled voice broke in and he couldn't help but jump backward, his heart close to burst out of his chest.

“Oh my god!” he breathed out between the fingers which were covering his mouth, his head tilting back with a sigh of relief. “Fuck,” he swore, this time, bending forward, his hand on his knees, panting hard.

Drowsily, Abby sat up and blinked several times. She must have fallen asleep because she hadn't heard him come in. “Marcus what's wrong?” she got worried instantly, watching him starting to pace the space as her eyes accustomed slowly to the darkness of the night. Were they already close to die once again? Sooner than the six expected months?

Marcus was still breathing heavily and he couldn't stop but rub his face up and down. Would it always be like this now? Excepting the worst each second, each minute of each day? The wave of relief which was engulfing him turned suddenly into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. He was well aware that he must sound like if he had lost his mind but he couldn't stop. The laughs were spilling out of his throat without his consent and without any kind of joy. It was just a steam of pure, mixing emotions: the ones he had been robbed for the past few days.

Abby sat up more properly on the bed, her fists clenching around the cover she was holding against her chest. She tilted her head a little and frowned. “Marcus?” she insisted, wondering what could possibly be so hilarious.

As good as it felt to hear him laugh again, she couldn't help but be worried. What if he was finally having a meltdown? She knew he was strong. He always has been, but she was also well aware of what coming back from the City of light implied.

All memories were brought you back, abruptly, violently, the good like the worst. When you have enough good ones, you can hang onto them, push away the bad ones by remembering the cheerful moments, those instants made of pure love and joy. But what if the worst ones were the more numerous? Had Marcus been happy, _truly_ happy, once in his life? Did he have enough good memories to protect him from the worst ones? She knew the Marcus of the earth but she barely knew anything personal about the Kane from the Ark. He was Jake's friend, not hers, never hers. She had the feeling that he had kept people at arm's length all his life in space. Of course, she knew about Callie and she knew he was pretty close to his mother during his childhood but were those memories enough? The question made her heart squeeze achingly inside her chest.

Worriedly, Abby started to push the blanket away, ready to jump off the bed and caught him if needed but he stopped her by a wave of his hand.

“I'm sorry, I-- I didn't want to wake you,” he spoke again, his laughter starting to ease.

Abby relaxed a little and exhaled the breath she was holding back. It wasn't a meltdown, at least, not for now.

“It's just that I-- I thought...,” he paused and she noted that his face was darkening a little.

Marcus remained silent for a moment, looking down and suckling at his lower lips. “Never mind,” he ducked eventually the end of his sentence, shaking his head. He didn't want to worry her with his inner concerns. No matter what he could have thought, in the end, she was safe and alive and that's all he needed to know. “Why are you here? Hadn't you been provided a room?” he changed the subject on a lighter tone.

On the bed, Abby shifted slightly, lowering her head. A shy smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and she felt her cheeks flush a little. “I...Yes, I have a room,” she confirmed, her fingers rubbing nervously against the edge of the blanket. “But I..., I thought that I...,” she trailed off, not sure about how she should end her sentence. _That I could sleep in your arms?_ It sounded silly, maybe a little too girlish. _That I could spend the night with you?_ No, this might imply something she was too exhausting to think about right now.

Running out of satisfying ideas, she simply looked up at him, wishing he would understand.

Marcus was staring at her, his face expressionless, visibly waiting for her to keep talking. When it became obvious that she wouldn't, he still didn't say a word and Abby start to fear that her presence might not be desired. Her throat tightened and she felt embarrassment creep inside her. “I can leave if you prefer,” she offered shamefully, her eyes suddenly shifty.

Maybe she was pushing too far. Maybe they weren't at that point yet. Or maybe she read all of it wrong? No, she didn't. He _did_ kiss her. He _did_ take the ship to save her life. He did so many things for her, _because_ of her...

“No, no, stay,” he responded in a rush. “I can take the couch,” he said, gesturing somewhere behind him.

Abby winced at that and if she wasn't ill-at-ease, she might have rolled her eyes. Clearly, he was completely missing the point. “Actually... I didn't come to sleep alone--,” she told him, her cheeks catching fire once again. “I mean, I can do that in my own bed,” she added, offering him a tiny smirk in case she wouldn't have been clear enough.

“Ah,” was all he found to answer. If, until then, he wasn't sure to understand what this was about, now that he did, he felt a little caught off guard. With everything going on, he hadn't had time to think about what could come next between them. To be honest, at that time, he wasn't even sure there would be a next. Of course, he had allowed himself a few moments to think back at that kiss, at what she had tried to tell him during which what they both thought would be their last moment together. He had hungged onto that memory but for the first time in his life, he hadn't made plans. He hadn't thought about what could happen once they would be together again. Together and _alone._

This was unknown territory for him and for a long time, he had thought that he wasn't made for that. That he didn't need to worry about it because he couldn't afford any kind of weakness anyway. Yes, he had cared for Callie, even loved her in some way but, at the end, nothing could have prepared him to this, to _Abby_.

He should have thought about something smarter to answer and he cursed himself for that but he was surprised and so tired that he wasn't able to think straight anymore. He hadn't moved either. He was just staring at her, most certainly looking silly.

“I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking,” Abby broke into the silence eventually. “I shouldn't have presumed that--,” she kept apologizing, already sliding her legs out of the bed to leave.

“No, no,” Marcus hurried to say this time, taking several long steps forwards to come squatting down next to the bed. He didn't want her to leave. He didn't want her to think that her presence wasn't desired. “It's okay. It's more than okay actually,” he reassured her, giving her a shy smirk as he placed his hand on the bed to keep his balance.

Abby almost breathed out a sigh of relief. Making a fool of herself by sneaking into the bed of a man when he doesn't want her to wasn't something she could have handled easily today, especially not after what Allie had forced her to do to him already.

“I'm just... surprised. I mean, in a good way,” he kept talking and she saw his eyes flickered to her bare legs poking out from under the blanket.

For a second, she thought he was about to reach for them. She _hoped_ he was about to because she was craving for his touch since she entered that room a few hours ago. She saw his fingers budged and she held her breath. She wanted him to make the first move. She needed him to make the first move because she felt like she had already done her part. She had already come there, fighting against the overwhelming shame and guilt of what she had done to him under Allie's control. Now, she needed a sign, a signal, that her touch, her affection, was wanted. Something which would tell her that her kisses wouldn't have the taste of a trap. So, she waited, just staring at his hand, wishing he would understand, he would _know._

Marcus was studying her face, trying to read that gaze which was fixed on his hand. A hand he was all so tempted to land on her knee. He wished he could be good at that, at knowing what Abby was expecting from him when it came to intimacy.

Before the kiss she had dropped on his cheek that day in sickbay he hadn't known, he wouldn't have dared to hope that this growing feeling inside his chest could have been reciprocal. And yet, she had cupped his face in her hands, leaned forward and pressed her lips against his skin, making all his convictions shatter. _Let's call it hope_ , she had answered when he had asked what it meant. _Let's call it hope_ , she had said in that low tone which had made his heart beat faster. _Hope for what?_ He had wondered for hours. _Hope for their people? Hope for them?_ His failed coup against Pike had stopped him before he could find an answer to that question but then...Then she had given him the answer. By comparing him to Jake she had thrown away the last doubt he might still have. He had thought it was too late. He had thought it would be too hard and he had prevented her to do something which could have haunted her for the rest of her life. But it wasn't too late now. They still have six months before the possible end of the world.

He wasn't good at that but he could learn, she could teach him. Maybe it was better to do something which might be wrong than nothing at all. She would tell him, show him, if he took the wrong way like she always did.

Tentatively, he let his fingers ran on the blanket until they made contact with that smooth, warm surface, he was craving to touch. He felt her shudder as he got bolder by letting his hand climb slowly along the side of her knee.

He was staring at her face. She could feel his studying gaze on her as much as she could feel his palm envelope the top of her knee. She had closed her eyes as soon as she had felt his fingertips graze her skin. Feeling him finally touching her was overwhelming, more than she could have imagined. Behind her eyelids, she felt some tears try to force their way but she strove to keep them locked up. She didn't want to start crying because, if she did, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop.

“How's Roan?” he asked her softly.

Abby opened her eyes and let out a quiet sigh. She didn't want to talk about the king, no more than about anything else. She was so tired, so emotionally drained that right now, she was just craving for sleep and comfort in his arms, nothing more. “He's okay. I just need to watch for any sign of infection,” she answered even so, keeping details for another time.

“Good,” Marcus commented softly, his thumb brushing lightly against the top of her knee. “I think we should see if--,” he started saying but she shook her head.

“Please not now,” she cut him off, a little more harshly than she meant to. “We can talk tomorrow,” she clarified on a softer tone. “For now, I just...,” she trailed off, leaning forward to cup his jaw. “I just want to sleep,” she whispered tiredly, stroking his beard softly with her thumb.

“Sure,” he agreed, nodding, his lips stretching into a tiny shy smile.

Abby laid back and raised her hand towards him, smiling. Marcus took it willingly and stood up, trying not to wince as his sore muscles were crying in agony. He felt her tug softly at his hand, inviting him to sit on the edge of the bed. He didn't resist and let go of her hand to take off his jacket.

Abby turned a little to her side, tucking one of her hands under her pillow as she watched him undress. His movements were slow, careful and she could guess that he was utterly sore from head to toes. As he settled his jacket on the floor, her eyes fell on the white bandages around his wrists and she felt her heart tightened. She tried to not blame herself but it wasn't an easy call. She clenched her jaw, fighting against the wave of emotions which were washing over her.

Marcus started to pull off his shirt but he stopped himself suddenly, hissing in pain.

“Wait,” Abby breathed out, hurrying to sit up. “Let me,” she said reaching for the hem of the shirt.

“Looks like I'm too old to climb buildings now,” he joked and she snorted bitterly.

She wasn't ready to joke about anything that had happened because of Allie and she wasn't even sure to be ready to do so one day. For now, knowing him in pain, _seeing_ him in pain only made her want to burst into tears. Yes, they all did horrible things, things they didn't want to do but there was nothing to compare to torture the people she loved. She hurt her own daughter, she hurt _him._

“Lift your arms,” she ordered him in a gentle voice and he did as she asked.

Carefully, Abby started to lift his shirt and she swallowed hard each time the maneuver revealed a new bruise on his skin. She already knew they were there, she had seen them when she had checked on him several hours sooner but still, knowing what she was about to see didn't make it easier.

She kept pushing the fabric higher until he was totally free of his shirt and then she kept it in her hands.

Unable to face Marcus' wounded body, Abby focused her attention on the shirt and started to fold it. She was used to see injuries, even worse than those, but right now, she wasn't a doctor, she was just a woman facing the pain of the man she loved and it was too hard. She felt responsible for all of them, even if she hadn't done any of them-- _directly_.

“Hey,” Marcus murmured as he put his hand on hers, preventing her to keep folding the shirt.

Abby looked up at him and her lips stretched up into something closer to a wince than the smile she wished she could offer him.

“They'll disappear,” he tried to comfort her. “I've got a good doctor,” he added on a lighter tone and, this time, Abby smiled fondly.

Without stopping to stare at her face, Marcus took the shirt from her hands and bent forward to put it on the floor. Once done, he took the opportunity to get rid of his boots and socks and then straightened up.

His eyes flickered down, on the last pieces of clothing he was wearing. Obviously, he would be more comfortable if he took his pants off as well, but that was a line he wasn't sure Abby wanted to cross.

He looked up back at her and saw that she was raising an eyebrow at him with a grin at the corner of her lips.

“Do you need some help with this one too?” she asked him teasingly and he chuckled.

For a second, he was tempted to say yes, just to tease her in turn, but he held back himself. Instead, he shook his head and started to unbuckle his belt.

As he stood up to push his pants down, Abby lied down again, looking away to give him some privacy. It wasn't the first time he was wearing only his underwear in front of her, but it wasn't the same now. She wasn't about to examine him like she used to do. Right now, she was about to share a bed with him. She was about to explore an all new level in their relationship. The thought stirred a flood of pleasant thrill and anticipation inside her and she caught herself smiling as she stared at the ceiling.

Marcus folded his pants quickly and put it next to his boots. He ran his hand nervously through his hair and took a moment to compose himself. Nothing was about to happen, he had no doubt about this. They were both way too tired to do anything tonight, but it didn't prevent him to think about it

Carefully, he took a step closer to the bed, ready to slip in but as he was about to lift the cover, Abby turned her head on the pillow, looking at him.

“This is my side of the bed,” she told him, smirking sleepily.

Surprised by the statement, Marcus stood still a second, blinking. When the sentence finally made sense in his mind, he couldn't help but chuckle quietly.

“Actually, this has been _my_ side of the bed for forty-two years,” he corrected her smoothly.

Abby bit her lower lips as her smile kept growing larger. “You'll get over it,” she retorted teasingly as she folded herself deeper into the bed, tugging the cover over her face.

Marcus stared at her fondly for a moment. If things were different, he might have been annoyed, old habits die hard, especially after forty-two years of celibate but right now, he felt too relieved of having her there, safe and sound, to be anything than grateful.

“I'm too exhausted to fight you on this tonight,” he told her as he got around the bed. “But so you know, tomorrow I'm getting my side back,” he warned her as he climbed into the bed and slipped beneath the cover.

Hiding under the furs, Abby's smile widened: there will be a tomorrow and hopefully more nights to come.

Once he was comfortably settled, Marcus shifted on his side and tugged gently at the cover over Abby's face. She was facing him, her hands tucked under her head on the pillow. He could still guess the ghost of her previous smile but her expression had become more serious. She was staring at him silently with a steady gaze.

Despite the lack of light in the room, he was now close enough to see distinctly the bad wounds on her face. The underside of her eyes was tinged with red and purplish-blue. Even if the right part of her face was hidden into the pillow, he could catch a glimpse of the large bruise devouring it from eyes to jaw. The thoughts of grounders beating her made him swallowed hard. He hadn't been there to protect her when she needed him to. He hadn't been there because he had flown away, letting her behind, at the mercy of Jaha and his crazy A.I.

His eyes kept travel down and stopped by the swollen cut on her lips. He wished he could kiss it out. Maybe he could try...

Abby closed her eyes as she saw him raised his hand towards her face and wait. If things hadn't been the way they were now, she would have taken the lead, she wouldn't have restrained herself from doing what she was craving to but she couldn't now. She couldn't push him like she used to do, not when Allie had used her kisses as a weapon to get to him.

She felt his thumb brush tenderly along the line of her lips and she exhales a quiet sigh. He kept tracing the contour of her mouth several times and her breath got caught in her throat as she felt the mattress sink a little: he was moving closer.

Inside her chest, her heart started to race at the thought. Her own body shifted slightly forwards, drew by the warmth she could sense underneath the sheets: _his_ warmth. She still held back herself from touching him. She didn't need him to tell her they were good, she needed him to _show_ her.

She felt his fingertips leave her face to run down along her jaw and then along her neck. He stopped there and she felt his hand shudder.

Her eyes flew opened. She didn't need to see his gaze to know what was going on inside his mind. She caught his wrist reflexively and gave it a light squeeze as she looked at him right in the eyes. There was that shadow in it, the one which had certainly crossed her own gaze several minutes ago as he was undressing.

“It'll disappear,” she echoed his previous words in a murmur.

Marcus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He offered her a brief nod before looking at her again. He watched her bring his hand to her mouth and kiss the tip of his fingers lightly. She didn't stop staring at him, like if she was chasing the tiniest clue of his rejection. She was unsure, almost shy and that was something he wasn't used to see coming from her. He didn't like that because he knew it meant that she wasn't comfortable, that she wasn't sure that her touches were welcomed when they obviously were.

Without a word, he pulled his hand out of her grip carefully, offering her a soft smile to prevent her from thinking she was doing something wrong. He rolled utterly onto his side and put his arm over her waist, pulling her closer. Abby obliged willingly, shifting on the mattress until her whole body was pressed against his.

She buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in deeply as he closed his arms around her, holding her tight. They both let out a sigh of relief at the same time and she probably would have laughed if she wasn't close to burst into tears. She had craved for this moment for so long, she had longed for that intimate touches with him that now it felt too good to be real.

She let herself melt completely into him, sliding one of her legs between his and draping one of her arms around his middle. Thousands of words were on the tip of her tongue but she didn't feel strong enough right now to say them out loud. Instead, she pressed her lips against his skin, inhaling deeply, letting the scent of him intoxicate her.

In all her life, she had never felt something like that. The conscious need to enjoy the moment, to record every detail, every sensation because you are certain that it can be torn off from you at any time.

Her eyes closed tightly, she let the feel of him enveloping her. His skin was warm. His chest muscles were firm so were those of his legs. Being curled up like this against him was bringing her a powerful sensation of safety. She felt like the nightmare of those last few months was finally turning into a dream. A quiet and peaceful dream.

She felt her body relax slowly in his embrace. The fingers which were running along her spine seemed to unknot each ties of her back and shoulders in their paths. It was a light touch, a reassuring caress but it was enough for tonight, it was everything she needed.

“It feels good,” she hummed in a whisper at some point, nuzzling sleepily into his neck.

Marcus couldn't help but smile fondly, his head pressed against the top of her head. “Yes,” he breathed out. “Yes, it feels good” he confirmed before dropping a light kiss on her hair.

His wounded wrists were killing him each time he was moving his hands but stroking her skin was a vital need, something he couldn't prevent himself to do. He had almost lost her for good today, a few more seconds and he would have lost her forever so the pain didn't matter anymore. Not when he was allowed to share _this_ with her. Not when he was allowed to offer her the comfort she needed.

At some point, he felt her breathing slow down in his neck and her lips shape indistinct words against his neck. She must have fallen asleep and he should give it a try too. From experience, he knew that his body was probably physically too exhausted to have nightmares tonight but he had no doubts that they will arrive soon.

Careful enough for not waking her up, Marcus shifted away a little to take a last look at Abby's face. She looked peaceful, but he knew it was just the calm before the storm. The nightmares will come for her too, but if there was only one thing he was sure about right now, it was that, as long as they were together, they will be able to weather any storm.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Day 2**

 

A light morning breeze crept into the room, driving slowly away her sleep. Her mind was still clouded with the last remains of her unbroken and dreamless recovery night but, slowly, her whole body started to become aware of its surrounding. A firm, warm, surface was pressed tightly against her skin, almost from toes to forehead, enveloping her in a comforting cocoon. A steady and quiet sound was purring into her ears, bringing to her a sense of cooling down. She felt good, better than she had felt in a very long time.

Still lost between sleep and awake, she stirred a little, pushing herself forward, seeking reflectively for more of that sense of well-being. Her move was greeted by a hoarse hum and a sweet pressure on her forehead.

Drowsily, she blinked several times and tilted her head slightly backward. Through her eyelashes, she caught two brown eyes staring fondly at her. A smile made its way across her lips but it dissolved quickly into a soft yawn.

“Hi,” Marcus whispered before bending his head to drop another kiss on her temple.

Abby closed her eyes again, taking in the feel of his mouth and beard on her skin and for a second, she wondered if she was still dreaming. To be utterly honest, it wouldn't have been the first time. That kind of vivid sensations had bathed some of her sleepily waking in the past, just to vanish the second she had opened her eyes. Nonetheless, she quickly realized this was the reality because the recollection of what had happened the last few days started to come back to haunt her.

Her heart sank at the thoughts but the feeling of a hand sliding along her spine helped her to push them away. She sighed delightedly and pushed herself harder against the pleasant form lying next to her. She wished that moment could last forever. She wished she wouldn't have to pull herself out of this comforting bubble to face the cruel reality of the world again.

Abby parted her lips, ready to answer back but the only thing getting out from her throat was a husky, chafing sounds which made her cough violently. She sat up hastily, covering her mouth with her hand. She bent forward reflectively as her whole body shook violently.

Next to her, Marcus immediately pulled himself out of his morning lethargy and straightened up, following Abby's move. A flash of pain darted through his entire body, making him hiss between his clenched teeth.

“You're okay?” he asked her tentatively, one of his hands landing on the small of her back while he pushed her hair away from her face with the other.

“Wa-- water,” Abby managed to say, gesturing at the center of the room.

She felt the mattress swayed underneath her as Marcus jumped off the bed in the second and walked away to the wood bucket near the large windows. She didn't really look up at him but from the corner of her eyes, she noticed his unusual gait. His movements were jerky and heavy and despite the sound of her own coughs, she heard him groan a couple of times.

Running out of air, Abby focused on her breathing and tried to inhale deeply between two coughs. She felt like the muscles inside her throat had doubled in size during the night. Instinctively, she reached for it but the touch made her wince as her fingers brush again the scratched skin there. _A few more seconds and it would have been too late...,_ she reflected for the first time since she had woken up from the City of light. Until then, it had been all about others and the pain she had inflicted on them. Not once, she had thought about what happened to her under Allie's control. She had been close to death before. She had felt the icy and acrid breath of the grim reaper on her neck more times than she could have counted but this time, it had been different. This time, there had been no fear, no pain, nothing at all. Just a giant vacuum and only one obsessive thought: forcing Clarke to take the chip. The memory made her stomach turned brutally.

“There,” Marcus' voice saved her from those painful memories as he sat back next to her.

Abby took the bowl he was handing her and brought it to her lips. She swallowed two long sips slowly, ignoring the drops which were running along her chin due to her spasms. “Thank you,” she croaked once her coughs eased, wiping her chin with the back of her hand.

“We should ask for some honey,” Marcus said as he took the bowl from her hands to put it on the floor next to the bed.

As he did so, he groaned again. Bent over, he stood still for a moment and Abby realized that if he had been sore the previous day, it must be even worse now.

“Yes,” she agreed huskily. “And for some muscle relaxants as well,” she pointed out, reaching a hand out to touch his back.

Her fingertips brushed soothingly along his spine and a smile tugged at her lips as she saw him shiver. _Ticklish_ , she took note mentally.

“I'm fine,” he declined as he straightened up and turned slightly around to look at her.

“No, you're not,” she refuted as she let her palm slide higher, giving his shoulder a slight squeeze which made him groan again. “See,” she mocked him gently, raising an eyebrow at him.

Marcus chuckled and rolled his eyes. “It's just stiffness, I can handle it,” he downplayed before bending forward to drop a kiss on her shoulder.

Caught off guard, Abby's smile faded abruptly away but deep inside her, she felt a spark of visceral longing come into life. She stopped breathing for a moment, just staring numbly at Marcus' lips against her bare skin. Even if an intimacy had grown between them during the past few months, she couldn't help but still be surprised each time he allowed himself to give her a tender gesture.

She still remembered the first time it had happened: it was the night after Finn's execution, on their way to TonDC. The way his hand had landed on the top of her knee while he tried to reassure her about Clarke had shocked her at the time. Not because his touch wasn't welcomed but because that was not something he used to do on the Ark. Marcus Kane never initiated physical contact. It looked like a rule he had forced on himself, something he had forbidden himself to do like if doing so would have created a threatening flaw in his armor. But they were far from this now. So far that sometimes, she even wondered if that man had really existed, if there was really a Kane before Marcus.

Still, seeing him kiss her shoulder that casually was an all new level of intimacy. It wasn't just a comforting hand at the small of her back or a calming squeeze on her shoulder like friends could do. It was something higher, something which made her heart beat a little faster and brought some thrills and bubbles inside her.

Alerted by the feel of Abby's eyes on him, Marcus looked up at her. His expression darkened as he feared that he might have crossed a line. He pulled back slightly, sucking nervously at his lower lips.

“Is that okay?” he asked worriedly.

He hadn't even thought about what he was doing. It had just felt like the right thing to do at the moment. She hadn't said anything when he had kissed her forehead a few minutes ago, quite the contrary: she had melted even more into his embrace, making that little noise which had sounded like the most beautiful melody he had ever heard.

For a second, Marcus felt bad at the thought of having presumed anything, but the way Abby finally nodded lustily made him sigh softly with relief.

“Yes,” she confirmed in a muffled breath, a soft smile tugging at her lips.

Despite the nasty marks on her face and neck, Marcus couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was, bathed in the light of the candles. Her hair was down, tumbling over her shoulders and the end curling freely along her back. His fingers budged reflectively over the blanket as he fought against the urge to run them through it. The need to touch her, to have her pressed against him had never been so hard before. Having her in his arms all night long had been a bliss, something he was already addicted too.

Slowly, he shifted closer to her on the bed, wincing a little as he used his wrists for leverage. “How's your neck?” he asked her softly as he settled himself slightly behind her.

Abby folded her arms and rubbed the strained muscles at the base of her nape. “Sore,” she admitted, closing her eyes and wincing as the burning sensation of soreness radiated all over the top of her back.

Her move made the strap of her tank top slide along her shoulder. For a second, Marcus was tempted to put it back in place but his eyes landed on the bare line of skin between her neck and shoulder and he thought better of it.

The first thing Abby felt was a warm blast of air teasing her skin. She shuddered and her throat seemed to become even drier than when she had woken up. She let her hand fall back in front of her and tilted her head slightly on the side in an inviting gesture.

At first, it was nothing more than a light touch, Marcus' lips and beard barely skimming her skin. Still, it sent a shock through her spine and her fingers closed with excitement around the sheets.

“Okay?”, he checked again in a murmur as his lips reached the underneath of her ear.

Abby hummed in agreement and leaned backward, seeking for more.

When, barely a second later, Marcus' mouth pressed against her skin again, the contact was more confident and a little firmer. His lips slide gently along the side of her neck, avoiding carefully the raw line of the rope. He reached the junction between her neck and shoulder and lingered there to give the tender skin a soft suction.

Abby let out a pleasant sigh, her eyes rolling under her closed eyelids. She licked her lips, reveling in this new and pleasant proximity. The contrast between the roughness of his beard and the softness of his lips against her skin sent shocks through her spine, right to her lower belly. Her whole body started to relax and she leaned backward even more but a hand landed quickly on her hips, steadying her. There was just a small inch of bare skin between her tank top and panties, just enough place for Marcus' middle finger to tease the already hot flesh there. Abby gasped at the contact and reached for his arm blindly, yearning for more. Her fingers wrapped around his wrist without thinking and as soon as she felt the coarseness of a fabric against her skin, an alarm rang out in her mind but it was already too late. Marcus instantly jerked and muffled a groan against her skin. The sweet warmth which was slowly invading Abby's lower belly vanished in a split second at the realization of what she just did.

“Oh God, I'm sorry,” she breathed out horrified, already leaning forward to move away from him.

Gladly, Marcus was faster than her and his arms circled her waist, pulling her back against him. “It's okay,” he hurried to reassure her, his mouth close to her ear.

The wounds were still skinned and hurt like hell at the touch but he could handle it, especially during a moment like this. “I'm okay,” he murmured again before pressing his lips under her jawline but Abby didn't seem to hear him.

“I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, I didn't think-- I--,” she kept apologizing profusely, still writhing in his embrace like a frightened little bird. Her gaze was unfocused and her whole body was shaking, this time, not because of shivers.

Even if he couldn't read her mind anymore, Marcus could guess what was going on under her skull right now: the metallic sound of the hammer against the nail, followed by the crack of bones and his own cries of pain.

“Abby!” he cut her apologizes off, his hand leaving her belly to grab her chin.

Gently, he forced her to look at him and, as their gaze met, he offered her a warm, comforting smile. “I swear, I'm okay,” he assured her once again, pouring all the sincerity he had into his look.

Abby stared at him for a moment, until some tears started to blur her eyes. “I—I—I,” she stammered but Marcus didn't let her the time to keep going. If his words weren't enough then he could try to show her that her touches were more than welcome: they were craved.

Gathering his courage, he cupped her face and pulled her face down to him. He locked his lips with hers a little harder than he meant to but the way he felt her whole body instantly relax against him made his last worries vanish. He felt her muffled what sounded like a sob against his mouth but as he tried to pull back, Abby grabbed the back of his head and deepened the kiss.

Marcus' heart seemed to miss a beat as he felt her tongue join the sweet pressure of her lips. Greedily he parted his own, giving the kiss a languid impulse. They both moaned as their tongue collided the first time and moaned again as a wild rhythm settle. Desperation and desire could be felt in each movement, in each touch, whatever it was in the way Marcus' hands clenched Abby's hips, tugging at them until she rose on her knee and straddle him, or in the way Abby's fingers were slipping through his hair wantonly. Everything they had been holding back for days, weeks, even months were pouring out of them just to fill up the other.

Marcus' hands were gripping the lower part of Abby's waist tightly, his thumbs drawing little circles around the bones of her hips just above the edge of her underwear. The thought of her wearing only her panties had crossed his mind the night before, especially when she had slipped one of her bare legs between his but, at that time, his exhaustion had been too strong for anything to come of it. But now, despite his soreness and the hours of sleep he still had to catch up, his whole being was aware of it. She was sitting on his lap, her naked thighs pressed against each side of his and he could feel his pulse increased, sending blood to every extremity of his body. The air in the room was a little chill but yet, Abby's skin was hot against his fingertips. As hot as the unrestrained and fervent kissed she was delighting to give him.

At some point, he felt her suck teasingly at his tongue and he paid her back, nipping at her lower lips. This time, the sound he drew out of her wasn't the moan he expected, quite the contrary. The grip she had on his hair loosened as she yelped. She broke the kiss and pulled back, immediately bringing her fingers to her lips.

Marcus' eyes widened as he saw a droplet of blood drip from the healing cut on her lower lips. Abby looked up at him and for a moment, they only stared numbly at each other until a semblance of chuckle escaped her throat.

Marcus blinked several times, wondering if it was really a chuckle and his lips parted, ready to apologize. The first syllable was already on the tip of his tongue when Abby made the sound again, this time, joined by a slight smile tugging at her lips as she wiped the blood with her fingertips.

“I'm sorry?” Marcus offered tentatively, unsure of what was going on inside her mind, and, this time, the sound she made couldn't be mistaken for anything else than a laugh.

Abby's hands found their place again in his hair and she drew his face to her, pressing her forehead against his. “Gosh, we're a mess,” she pointed out, a hint of frustration creeping into her tone which made him chuckle in turn.

“Yes,” he agreed. “But a pleasant one,” he added in a low voice before kissing lightly the uninjured corner of her mouth.

Abby hummed in agreement as she started to nuzzle along his cheek. She felt a little stupid for having presumed they would be able to do more than just cuddling right now but the desire had been too strong, no matter how much their bodies were damaged. Sharing that kind of moments with Marcus had been something she had longed for since more longer that she would have agreed to admit. Sometimes, the simple thought of it was enough to set up a sweet, hot pressure between her thighs. The kind of pressure which was actually torturing her right now. She chuckled again at her own eagerness.

“What time do you think it is?” she asked, trying to ignore the thirst she couldn't satiate for now.

“I would say seven, maybe eight,” Marcus answered as he turned his head to look at the soft light coming through the window.

Abby let out a sighed and dropped her head on his shoulder. “I should go. I need to check the king's wound again and a lot of people certainly need looking after,” she stated but she made no move to leave, her fingers slipping deeper into Marcus' hair.

“Roan said they have their own healers for that,” Marcus reminded her, frowning a little. The prospect of Abby leaving the tower wasn't something he enjoyed. There were thousands of wounded outside, he knew it and he wished he could help them but not at the cost of her safety.

Abby straightened up to look at him. “I'm sure they could use an extra help,” she said. “We dragged them into this, it's the least that I can do” she added gravely and behind her steady gaze, Marcus could guess the weight of her guilt.

His hand left her waist to brush a strand of her hair softly behind her ear. She had that expression on her face, the one he knew all too well and which meant that she wouldn't change her mind no matter what he could say. Nonetheless, he could still try. “The grounders are angry, I hardly doubt that they w--,” he started to demur but, as expected, she cut him off.

“I'll talk with the king first,” she said, her hand landing on his cheek. “Don't worry, I don't intend to do anything reckless,” she assured him with a fondle smile, her thumb brushing over his cheekbone.

Marcus almost snorted. This was something he would never believe, no matter how persuasive she could try to sound. He stayed quiet for a moment, steadying her face. He didn't want this to turn into an argument, not now, not when what they had was still new and fragile. He let out a sigh eventually and dropped his hands from her waist to her thighs. “Then, I'm gonna come with you. I need to talk to the king as well,” he announced, giving her flesh a soft squeeze.

“No. He needs to rest and you can barely walk anyway,” she refused, the corner of her mouth turning up a little at the end of her sentence.

Marcus rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I'm just sore Abby, not impotent,” he objected gruffly.

“I know,” she said softly as she leaned down to kiss him on the lips. She knew he was worried and she couldn't blame him for that but they couldn't just stay locked up in this room forever, not when they were on the edge of war and of the doomsday. She needed to do her part, like he will have to do his in the next few days. “But still,” she added, pushing on his shoulders until he laid back despite his growls of discomfort. “Give your body a break,” she murmured near his ear as she overhung him, her hands pressed against the mattress on both sides of his head. “It might need it,” she added, her tone light and promising.

Marcus inhaled deeply and chuckled. “Really?” he asked playfully as his hands started to run up her back. She wasn't playing fair but he wasn't a fool and he wasn't ready to let her have her way with that kind of low strategy anyway.

“Yeah,” she confirmed teasingly, offering him a smirk as she straightened up. “Take some rest: doctor's order,” she said, patting his chest with her fingertips. “I'll be back in a few hours to change your bandages.”

As she was about to move away from him, Marcus grabbed her hips and pinned her in place. Yes, she was right about Roan, he needed at least one recovering day before being dragged into the insoluble mess of clans diplomacy and there was nothing he could do before having talked to him but the king wasn't what he was worried about.

“If Roan allows you to leave the tower, at least take Octavia with you,” he told her gravely.

Abby's smirk faded away as she nodded. “I will,” she promised. She started to move again but stopped for a moment, looking back at him. Without a word, she leaned down and pressed her lips against his. As she pulled back she offered him a tender smile and brushed the back of her hand lightly along his cheek.

Her gaze lingered on him and he felt like she was about to say something, her lips even parted but she didn't. She let out a deep sigh instead and leaned on his chest for leverage to unstraddle him. The pressure on his sore muscles made him wince.

“Sorry,” she breathed out as she got off the bed but the tiny mocking smile at the corner of her lips told him she wasn't, at least not really.

For a brief second, the thought of slapping playfully her ass crossed his mind but he wasn't sure they were at this point already. Instead, he just turned on his side and watched her walk toward the hearth where her clothes had dried all night.

His eyes wandered over the full curves of her ass, half hidden by a black boyshorts and he couldn't prevent an idiotic smile to reach his lips. How many times had he caught himself looking at her backside in the past? Far too many probably and at that time, he had always felt a little guilty for looking at her this way. She was an attractive woman, she always has been but knowing that his gaze on her was welcomed now made her even more desirable.

As if she had heard his thoughts, Abby turned her head and, as their gaze met, he could swear that he saw her cheeks flush a little. She didn't say a word but the smirk which tugged at the corner of her lips made his throat when dry. She knew exactly what she was doing and the effect she has on him.

She pulled on her usual pair of black pants and then grabbed her shirt. As she did so, a metallic sound resonated into the room. Marcus straightened up a little, trying to have a better view as Abby got on her knees, her hand rummaging under the coffee table.

He heard her exhaled a sigh of relief and he realized quickly what she was looking for as he saw her put a chain around her neck. He didn't think anything specific about it, excepted that she had taken it off before sliding into his bed the night before. Maybe she was used to taking it off for sleep, or maybe she felt uncomfortable to wear it when she was in bed with him...Anyway, he felt like that wasn't his business.

Abby stood up again and fixed her hair. She tied some strands back and left the rest loosely down her back. She took her bag then and threw her jacket over it before making her way toward the exit door.

“Be careful,” Marcus told her as her hand land on the door handle.

She threw him a look over her shoulder and nodded quickly before leaving the room.

Marcus rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. His fingers slide on the mattress, seeking absentmindedly for the warmth Abby's body had left there. This whole morning felt unreal: from the fact he had slept in a grounder bed, in a grounder city to the fact he had woken up with a sleeping Abby in his arms.

They were on earth for barely five months now and yet, it felt like a lifetime. So many things had changed, so many people had died. The room felt suddenly too empty, too quiet without Abby there and all the thoughts his too tired body hadn't been able to shape before were now forcing their way to his mind.

Growling, he flipped over on the mattress and buried his face into Abby's pillow, breathing in her scent in order to push away his inner demons. It seemed to work at first: the taste of blood in his mouth being slowly replaced by the sweet salty taste of her skin and the sound of people hitting the floor as they fell from the building being muffled by the memory of her erotic hums.

A part of him knew he shouldn't let his mind sink into those blissful thoughts instead of thinking about a way to keep Roan on the throne but the reality was hard to face, even more than usual with the knowledge that they might have only six months to live now.

“Six months,” he murmured to himself into the pillow.

Yes, six months and yet, still so many things he wished he could live with her...

 


End file.
